“Beer and Albany go hand in hand. Brewing has been part of Albany's history and culture since the earliest Dutch settlers, and by the 1800s the city had become one of North America's most prolific brewing centers. Albany Ale could be found all over the Western Hemisphere!” says Beer Historian Craig Gravina. “But to really understand beer and spirits role in history you need to look at what else was happening at the time. That's what I love about the Proost! events. They help contextualize beer and spirits into the greater history. The development of the Erie Canal, industrialization, the social reform movements of the era, and even the Civil War, shaped how Albanians, New Yorkers, and really all Americans, viewed and consumed alcohol in the 19th century.”

“Proost!” is one of the sponsored programs promoting Discover Albany’s “Tastes and Traditions”, a year-long initiative celebrating Albany’s culinary accomplishments and excitement. Moderated by culinary writer and historian Deanna Fox, ‘Proost’ celebrates historic beer and spirits culture. Distiller Johnny Curtain, beer historian Craig Gravina, and C.H. Evan’s brewer Sam Pagano will take you back in time with samples inspired by the beverages that early Americans in Albany drank.

“What Sam, Craig and the rest of the ‘Proost’ storytellers are doing is incredibly important,” says Maeve McEneny, Discover Albany Education Coordinator. “Albany has incredible history and beautiful architecture to back up it up, but food and drink humanizes these stories. When we’re given the chance to taste what our descendants might have drank or we eat the food they would have had access to, it brings us that much closer to our past and a better understanding of our roots.”

The Albany Distilling Company, C.H. Evans Brewery Company, The Albany Ale Project, and Discover Albany with The Underground Railroad History Project will present "Proost! A Brewed and Boozy Sampling of Mid-19th Century Albany" on June 22. Attendees who wish to sample must be 21+ and present a valid photo ID. Space is limited; reservations required.

ABOUT Discover Albany

The Albany County Convention & Visitors Bureau, Inc. was established in 1976 to promote the civic and commercial progress of the community through increased development of conventions and tourism. Today, the organization is known as Discover Albany. Discover Albany currently represents more than 300-member businesses and assists each year in hundreds of regional meetings. Discover Albany also operates the Albany Heritage Area Visitors Center, Henry Hudson Planetarium, and the Albany International Airport Information Center. The Albany County Convention and Visitors Bureau Foundation was established in 1993 to provide educational opportunities and work with other organizations to secure grants and funding to advance regional travel and tourism projects. For more information, call 518-434-1217 or 800-258-3582 or visit www.albany.org.